Jerusalem at War

JERUSALEM AT WAR presents the story of the war in Jerusalem in 1967, a dramatic episode in a battle spanning thousands of years over a city that is considered holy by Jews, Christians and Muslims.The book is the product of research based on primary sources, some uncovered for the first time, as well as 230 in-depth interviews, including some conducted in Jordan. It tells the story of a war that changed the face of Israel and the Middle East. The book is rich in new military and diplomatic revelations – such as the secret relations between Jordan and Israel, the reason why Jordan joined the war, and how Israel achieved its brilliant and rapid victory. In a penetrating, bold and unbiased approach, the author challenges entrenched narratives and shatters a number of myths. The book recounts the history of Jerusalem and Israeli-Jordanian relations following the 1948 war – through the years when the city was divided, and during the fighting in Jerusalem and its surroundings in the Six-Day War. It follows every stage of the war, describes conflicts in the political and military echelons on the eve of the war and during the fighting, examines the overt and covert aspirations of Israel’s leaders – Eshkol, Dayan, Rabin and others - and portrays the residents of Jerusalem and those who fought there in 1967. The book sweeps the reader into the fighters’ war experience in the communication trenches, tank turrets ,cockpits minefields and the alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City. It examines the interplay of glory and horror, of pride and trauma.